Dover Raceway Sunday May 2 2016
Big Van National Bangers, Bangerstox, Super Rods and Reliant Robins World QF

A decent, if far from spectacular entry of 16 Big Van Bangers gathered for their annual outing at Dover on May 2 but it did include two stand out motors, 492 Dean Harper piloting a massive Mercedes 508D camper while 141 Gary Lee wielded an impressive Ford Camper from the States, both superbly presented while 346 Scott Saunders returned the ex Trevor Wright PDV post van from last year.

A full field for heat one with 346 Muttley stuffing 674 Bill Elsey first into the banking and then into the fence as 123 Tony Hutton stuffed 200 Ashley Grieson and the luckless Elsey was followed in by 623 Ricky Hutton which also claimed 123 Curly and 141 G Man arrived for a crushing T-bone on Elsey as 188 John Reeves laid into the spun 492 Mullet with the latter buried by 623 Tricky which also claimed 863 Damien Andrews as 188 Victor again drove through the side of the playful Mullet and 349 Lee Saunders attacked the former and Tricky to block the track on turn two. Elsey battled on and T-boned Curly as Grieson delivered a hard shot on Mullet whose camper was already falling apart nicely and Victor rammed the former in turn before Tricky finally silenced the determined Elsey with a hard follow-in. G Man now weighed on in Mullet which completely blocked the track and Tricky was able to fence 349 Finbarr when things got moving again as 2 Sean Swinborn took a comfortable flag to flag win from Tricky and Muttley.

A dozen returned for heat two with 500 Bill Wenham starting things well by burying Curly and then Grieson with Curly then clobbered by Victor as Mullet turned Muttley into the wall and Swinborn blasted the lurking Curly with a T-bone, the latter then taking a crushing hit in the passenger side from Mullet with G Man delivering a massive hit on the latter before Tricky also attacked Mullet. Grieson reversed into Muttley before the former was dumped into the banking by Mullet who then crashed into the stricken Muttley with 92 Amy Harper clobbering her brother. G Man and Tricky then delivered brutal T-bones to Muttley and they each delivered a second hit on the Management man as did his own brother Finbarr which left the post van an impressive mess. Tricky continued to bury Finbarr on the final bend but the latter recovered and just beat 502 Kayleigh Dighton in a drag race to the line for the win with Victor third and Tricky the only other finisher.

Still 11 made it back for the Final but G Man had no steering and was towed onto the pit bend where he managed to reverse into Tricky while Mulley cracked the spun Grieson in the rear wheel as up front Tricky buried Harper for the lead with Swinborn concluding the action as he turned 383 Shane Harvey into the wall. Tricky won a much quieter affair from 502 the Chief and Finbarr, Chief celebrating by following in 383 Chimp after taking the flag.

Nine repaired for the Accumulator with again G Man limited to lurking on the pit bend but he managed to attack Grieson who came under fire from team mate Swinborn as a result as Finbarr drove through the side of G Man which tore the camper apart in epic fashion with Swinborn clobbering him in turn. Victor stuffed Chimp into the banking as Tricky claimed his second win from Chief and Victor. The DD duly begun with Grieson T-boning Chimp and Tricky nailing Swinborn before Victor picked up Chief and thundered him into Chimp for a big hit with Tricky zeroing in for a wicked T-bone on the latter and Chief also weighed into Chimp as well. Swinborn now blasted Tricky only to take a hit from Finbarr while Mullet assaulted Victor. The action as briefly stopped when there was some concern over a possible fire on the pit bend but this proved unfounded and the action resumed with a lengthy battle between Finbarr, Mullet, Chief and Swinborn trading numerous blows although none were overly significant. Swinborn then oddly piled into the long since stationary Tricky before Mullet delivered a cracking hit on Finbarr after the pair had pounded Chief into submission. Swinborne hit Finbarr but it only served to kill his own van before Finbarr and Mullet met in a solid head-on from which only the latter backed off to claim the win and he also took the entertainer award,

Heat one: 2 Sean Swinborn, 623, 346, 502, 349, 383, 200
Heat two: 349 Lee Saunders, 502, 188, 623
Grand Final: 623 Ricky Hutton, 502,349, 2, 188, 92, 492, 383
Accumulator qualifier: Hutton, 502, 188, 2, 492, 349
Destruction Derby: 492 Dean Harper from 349 Best entertainer: 492

The second meeting of the season at Dover Raceway attracted another bumper entry of Bangerstox with 54 cars in attendance although it was disappointing to report that the first attempt at producing a booking list for a meeting for the formula at Dover saw eight drivers fail to honour their bookings.

23 white grade drivers for heat one on a tricky track following the earlier rain with 69 Chloe Pelling spinning into the infield banking from the off which caused an immediate pile-up which claimed 28 Shane Howland, 84 Nathan Hogbin, 95 Lewis Ochwat, 73 Andy Taylor and 2 Keith Merryweather as 32 Glynn Butcher set the early pace while 86 Jason Wood was sent spinning after clashing with 14 Callum Merryweather and 24 Neil Jones which also claimed the luckless Taylor before 5 Dan Club sent Callum Merryweather spinning into the fence which cost him two places at the end of the race. 21 Nathan Moat had taken the lead by half way albeit with 4 Paul Harris and 31 Daz Sutton on his tail before Butcher clawed his way back to second but by this point Moat was clear as Ochwat span into the infield banking and Taylor sent Callum Merryweather around which cost the former two places at the end as Moat took a comfortable win from Butcher and Harris.

Heat two was a mix of white and yellow grade drivers which raised 15 cars and 52 Justin Harris slid into the fence from the off as 42 Jake Moat set the pace and took a lead he would not lose, quickly opening a useful advantage as Harris again found the fence, this time with 77 John Kingsley. 71 George Treeby and 39 Andy Colvin moved into second and third with 58 Owen Charles and 6 Gary Lee battling over fourth and 91 Ben Lawrence and 47 Levi Parrish were scrapping over sixth with the latter grabbing the place and then joining the aforementioned battle for fourth as Moat raced to the win from Treeby and Colvin with Charles holding off Parish for fourth.

15 cars again for the third heat which featured the other half of the yellow grade plus the blue and red grade and 79 Jamie Walker set the pace with 17 Guy Payne and 11 Heather Green battling over second but the former lost the spot when he went wide and Green slipped through with 29 Liam Hover who then nipped passed Green and Walker to take the lead but the three remained in close battle and were then joined by 46 Mark Jackson to make a four way battle for the lead until the latter was nudged with by 88 Nick Dash and Hover cruelly span from the fight. Green grabbed the lead and Dash lost time when he half span and was collected by Jackson. Walker then nudged Green wide but went wide himself and the recovered Dash grabbed the lead as 49 William Parrish slipped up the inside of Walker for second and the rapid 15 Jay Powell battled his way to fourth. Green then slid into the fence and was collected by Jackson with 22 Neil Boden and 97 Jay Thomas also running into them and Hover then butted heads with Green as she recovered which flipped her onto two wheels, Green then sent spinning by 94 John Armstrong which resulted in a two place penalty for the latter as Dash took the win, Powell an excellent second from the back and Parrish third with Walker holding off 9 Chris Young in a close finish for sixth.

Heat four was another white grade affair and raised 21 cars with 89 Vickie Dash setting the pace as 24 Neil Jones quickly worked his way to second and Dash slid into the fence which left Jones and Hogbin to enjoy an excellent scrap for the lead but eventually the former would get the upper hand and break away to claim the lead with Hogbin then having to defend 7 Joe Marsh in the race for second but he managed to fend him off for the spot.

13 cars for heat five which again was a mix of white and yellow grade drivers and early drama saw Harris and Keith Merryweather tangle and this caused 53 Leigh Garratt and 74 Jay Gilbey to spin as Jackson set the pace with Walker overhauling Merryweather for second before the latter span onto the infield. 97 Jay Thomas, Kingsley and the recovered Gilbey were battling over fifth with the latter eventually claiming the spot as 87 Ricky Brown hit the infield banking, the latter then collected by Walker as he tried to recover which sent him spinning. A dramatic end in the places saw 100 Howard Belson spin while fourth before Gilby collected the stricken Garratt on the final bend which dropped him out of the results as Jackson won from William Parrish and Walker.

15 cars for the final heat which was a quite superb race. From the off 91 Ben Lawrence, Levi Parrish and Treeby were locked in a battle for the lead which then splintered into a race for the top spot between the former two while the latter battled 92 Amy Harper over third and then made the most of the battle for the lead to grab the top spot for herself as behind Brown, Lawrence, Treeby and Nick Dash enjoyed a four abreast battle and Young quickly raced into eighth before he was joined by Powell, 43 Steve Cross and 70 David Leaton in another four abreast battle for position. Lee was sent spinning after a clash with 33 John Butcher as Dash dropped off the pace and expired. Harper still led from Parrish and Cross, Lawrence, Young and Leaton enjoyed a fierce battle for third with Powell slipping past Young as Lawrence slid into the wall. Young now shoved Cross wide to take third and then bested Parrish for second as Leaton was another unfortunate retirement. Parrish, Cross and Powell were now locked in a battle for third and the former rattled Cross into a half spin but this allowed Powell to pass them for third. Harper raced to the win from Young and Powell with Parrish beating Cross home for fourth.

23 qualifiers contested the final which started with spins for Marsh and Nathan Moat to cause a brief pile-up on the road bend and Hogbin emerged in the lead with 370 Bill Parrish on his tail and they enjoyed a battle for the top spot as again Nick Dash fell by the wayside. Marsh suffered a spin and was collected by Levi Parrish as Bill Parrish blasted round the outside Hogbin for the lead on lap two and Jackson also suffered a spin. Jake Moat battled his way to second as the race hit half way with Treeby, Sutton and Walker squabbling over fourth but this battle allowed Cross and Young to nip past them but Cross then tripped up with Hogbin and they crashed out on the bottom bend which gifted Young third. However Bill Parrish was comfortably clear and he took the win, lapping everyone up to fifth in the process with Jake Moat second and Young third, the latter pair also claiming the day’s grade awards along with Dash and William Parrish.

Once again a B Final was added for the non-qualifiers with 15 participants but sadly three failed to make the start. Callum Merryweather set the pace while Keith Merryweather and Garratt battled over second before Payne span as did Ochwat at the hands of Green which cost the latter a two place penalty, Green then clashing with 26 Robin Ash as Keith and Callum Merryweather battled with Winterbottom over the lead with Ash racing his way to fourth. Callum Merryweather then span and was collected by Winterbottom and Ash which ended the latter race and this left Keith Merryweather clear for the win from Winterbottom with Butcher inheriting third after Green and Callum Merryweather were docked places for excessive contact.

Heat one: 21 Nathan Moat, 32, 4, 24, 31, 89, 60, 74, 100, 84
Heat two: 42 Jake Moat, 71, 39, 58, 47, 6, 91, 35, 99, 52
Heat three: 88 Nick Dash, 15, 49, 70, 78, 79, 9, 33, 26, 22
Heat four: 24 Neil Jones, 84, 7, 370, 89, 42, 12, 60, 62, 28
Heat five: 46 Mark Jackson, 49, 79, 4, 100, 77, 17, 2, 97, 11
Heat six: 92 Amy Harper, 9, 15, 47, 43, 91, 71, 33, 26, 22
Grand Final: 370 Bill Parrish, 42, 9, 15, 70, 31, 71, 49, 84, 46
B Final: 2 Keith Merryweather, 35, 33, 12, 11, 17, 14, 95
Grade Awards: Jake Moat (white), 49 William Parrish (yellow), Dash (blue), 9 Chris Young (red)

Round two of the Super Rod track championship raised 11 cars, the best entry in the formula for over a year and included three drivers on their first outing of the year with 35 Cyndi Bradley setting the pace in heat one as 30 Wayne Powell raced into second and behind 90 Billy Perry slid into the fence which handed 12 Dan Elliott fourth, the former recovering but losing spots to 85 Jack Miles and 75 Neil Parker and these two quickly challenged Elliott for fourth with the latter another to slide into the fence in the slippery conditions. 87 Robin Miles bested 90 Flippa for sixth and he quickly repeated the move on 66 Adrian Walker for fifth as Elliott suffered a half spin and was passed by 10 Ben Palmer. Jack Miles and Parker now caught Powell to battle him over second as Walker slid into the wall and was collected by Elliott and Palmer as Parker finally got the better of Jack Miles for third. Despite being delayed by the battle over seventh between Walker and 88 Stacey Reeves, Bradley took her maiden Super Rod win from Powell and Parker.

One less for heat two and Walker set the pace as Elliott and Powell quickly passed Bradley to move into the top three and the latter then nipped up the inside to move into the lead leaving Elliott to battle Flippa over third while 88 Doris and Jack Miles fought for seventh. Walker drifted wide and lost places to Parker and Flippa as Powell led the field to half way and Doris made an inside line move on Flippa with Jack Miles able to follow her and Doris continued to pass Walker, the latter then enjoying a good scrap with Miles and Flippa over fifth which was ultimately won by Miles as Powell became the fifth different winner from five races in the formula ahead of Elliott and Parker.

10 again for the final with pole starter Powell besting front row starter Parker for the early lead while Jack Miles got the better of Bradley in the second group and Elliott bested Doris in the third group and Robin Miles headed the final group and behind him Walker and Flippa tangled in their fight for eight. At half way Parker was able to close in on Powell but he was never able to challenge and Powell took his second win with Jack Miles third and Robin Miles held off Walker for sixth.

Heat one: 35 Cyndi Bradley, 30, 75, 85, 87, 10, 66, 88, 12, 90
Heat two: 30 Wayne Powell, 12, 75, 88, 85, 90, 66, 35, 87
Grand Final: Powell, 75, 85, 35, 12, 88, 87, 66, 7

Six Reliant Robins gathered for their penultimate World Qualifier and their sole appearance of the year at Dover which was rescheduled from Easter Monday including 143 Sam Begley who’d travelled a great distance to attend.

16 Ray Layton suffered an early spin in heat one closely followed by 3 Jordan Street with 03 Scott Russell then going round while leading which left 66 Steve Willis and 143 Screamer to fight for the lead, the latter pulling away before 143 Screamer span as did Street and the pair then span again with Layton moving into second and he inherited the lead and the win when 66 Pork Pie expired on the final bend, Screamer was second and Street the only other to finish.

All six returned for heat two with 774 James Ponroy spinning Russell to hand Street the lead but he then span as did Russell but further spins for the latter and Ponroy meant Street continued to lead until he was passed by Pork Pie but again he ran sick and expired and with Screamer spinning it was Layton who inherited the win and won from Screamer and a late spin from Russell meant Ponroy took third.

A full field again for the final with Russell leading them away and showing much improved pace this time as Pork Pie moved into fourth after a good battle with Screamer who then span Ponroy for third but went round himself. The recovered Ponroy was then spun by Layton in the race for fifth as Russell cruelly span a lap from home and Pork Pie finally had some good fortune and took the win from Screamer and Russell, all six finishing this time.

Heat one: 16 Ray Layton, 143, 3
Heat two: Layton, 143, 774, 03
Grand Final: 66 Steve Willis, 143, 03, 3, 16, 774

For the second meeting in a row this was a most enjoyable affair at Dover Raceway in spite of the disappointingly wet and tricky conditions caused by the weather prior to the meeting, the Big Van Bangers their usual entertaining selves with a couple of memorable wrecks while the remaining formulas where the usual selves, the final Bangerstox heat being the highlight and it was good to report the programme was again completed in good time, the massive 18 race scheduled done and dusted within five hours despite an unfortunate 20 minute delay to the start following issues with the PA system.

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